DEADLY

Okla., Texas Fires Force Evacuations

Dozens of homes and businesses destroyed.

A wildfire in North Texas and grassfires across Oklahoma forced more evacuations Wednesday, as fires picked up speed in the wind. The Texas fire has destroyed 39 homes and buildings and has burned more than 6,200 acres as it closed in on Possum Kingdom Lake, about 75 miles from Fort Worth, Texas. The Texas Forest Service has called this year the worst fire season in the state’s history, as forest service officials have responded to 20,155 fires that have burned a record 3.5 million acres since Nov. 15. In Oklahoma City, Okla., evacuations began Wednesday after grassfires on Tuesday ruined 33 homes. Oklahoma has been in a state of emergency since July 20 because of extreme drought conditions and high fire danger.